How cancer treatments may affect your appearance

Transcription

1 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance 1 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance This information is from the booklet Feel more like you. You may find the full booklet helpful. We can send you a free copy see page 5. Contents Introduction Changes caused by cancer treatments Chemotherapy drugs Targeted therapies Radiotherapy Hormonal therapy More information and support Introduction You might start to see certain changes in your appearance during and after cancer treatment. As well as reading this information, you can speak to a Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor. These are No 7 Advisors who are based in some Boots stores. They are trained by Boots UK and Macmillan to help people manage the visible side effects of cancer treatments. A Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor can give you face-to-face expert advice about coping with changes to your skin, nails and hair during treatment. They can show you how to use products to cover up changes and make the most of your features. This can help you to look good and feel more confident. Visit boots.com/macmillan for more information and boots.com/storelocator to find your nearest Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisor.

2 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance 2 Changes caused by cancer treatments Changes to the condition and appearance of your skin, nails and hair depend on the cancer drug or treatment you re having. This chapter briefly explains how some treatments may affect your skin, nails and hair. Your cancer team may give you advice on looking after your skin and products to use or to avoid. It is very important to follow their advice. Chemotherapy drugs Chemotherapy treatment is the most common cause of skin, nail and hair changes. There are different chemotherapy drugs and you may have a combination of drugs. Any side effects you have will depend on the individual drugs. We have more information about chemotherapy in our booklet Understanding chemotherapy. During treatment your skin may become dry and more sensitive. Some chemotherapy drugs make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Certain drugs may make the palms of your hands or soles of your feet red and sore (palmar-plantar syndrome). Your specialist can give you advice and may reduce the dose of the drug. Because you re at more risk of getting an infection, you will be advised to avoid wet shaving. Using an electric razor is less likely to cause cuts. Some people have medicines called steroids given with chemotherapy. Steroids may make your skin more likely to get spots and redden. Nails Your nails may become more brittle and develop lines or ridges. Or they may become discoloured. The skin around your nails may get dry and frayed. Some chemotherapy drugs cause your hair to thin. Other drugs may cause you to lose all the hair on your head. Depending on the drug, some people also lose hair from other parts of the body. This can include eyebrows, eyelashes, facial hair and body hair such as chest, underarm or pubic hair. Ask your cancer specialist or nurse if the drugs you are having cause hair loss and if this is likely to include body hair.

3 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance 3 Targeted therapies Targeted therapy drugs (sometimes called biological therapies) can cause skin, nail and hair changes. Targeted therapies can make your skin dry, itchy and more sensitive. rashes are also common. Some people develop skin changes that look like acne. Targeted therapies can also make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Some drugs may make the palms of your hands or soles of your feet red and sore (palmar-plantar syndrome). Your specialist can give you advice and may reduce the dose of the drug. Nails Your nails may become brittle and break easily. Or they may become discoloured. Some targeted therapy drugs may make hair thinner, curlier or drier than usual. Men sometimes find that their facial hair grows more slowly. Certain drugs may cause facial hair to grow faster, or eyebrows or eyelashes to grow longer and curlier. Your nurse specialist will give you advice on how to manage these changes. Radiotherapy Radiotherapy can cause changes to your skin but only in the area being treated. Your skin may become red, sore or itchy. If you have dark skin, it may become darker with a blue or black tinge. The radiographers or nurses will tell you how to look after your skin. You should only use products they recommend on your skin in the area being treated. You should avoid using any other products. If you have radiotherapy to an area where you normally shave, ask the radiographers or nurses for advice. If you are having radiotherapy to your armpit, you may be given advice on using deodorant. They may suggest using unperfumed and alcohol-free deodorants if the skin in your armpit becomes sensitive. After radiotherapy you ll need to protect the area of treated skin from the sun for at least a year.

4 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance 4 Radiotherapy to the head may cause hair loss. If you are having radiotherapy to the breast or pelvis (the area between the hips) you are likely to lose hair in that area. Hormonal therapy Hormonal therapy drugs are used to treat cancers such as breast and prostate cancer. They can affect your skin, nails and hair but the effects are usually mild. Hormonal therapies may cause dry skin and rashes. Rarely, they may also cause spots.

5 How cancer treatments may affect your appearance 5 More information and support More than one in three of us will get cancer. For most of us it will be the toughest fight we ever face. And the feelings of isolation and loneliness that so many people experience make it even harder. But you don t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way. Visit macmillan.org.uk or call us on , Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. You can order a copy of Feel more like you, or any other cancer information, from be.macmillan.org.uk or by calling us. Hard of hearing? Use textphone , or Text Relay. Speak another language? We have telephone interpreters. We provide information in a range of languages and formats. Visit macmillan.org.uk/otherformats or call us. We make every effort to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and up to date but it should not be relied upon as a substitute for specialist professional advice tailored to your situation. So far as is permitted by law, Macmillan does not accept liability in relation to the use of any information contained in this publication, or third-party information or websites included or referred to in it. Macmillan Cancer Support Registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Registered office 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UQ Revised in March Next planned review in 2018.